Mark 12:19 (DBY)

Passage

Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if any one's brother die, and leave a wife behind, and leave no children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said to them, Pay what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they wondered at him.

Mark 12:18 And Sadducees come to him, that say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him saying,

Mark 12:19 Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if any one's brother die, and leave a wife behind, and leave no children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Mark 12:20 There were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and dying did not leave seed;

Mark 12:21 and the second took her and died, and neither did he leave seed; and the third likewise.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "teacher", "moses", "wrote", "one's", "brother", "leave", "wife", and "behind". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "teacher" and "moses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And Sadducees come to him that say..." into verse 20's "There were seven brethren and the first...", so "teacher" and "moses" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "teacher" and "moses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.